Four years ago Katie and Dave met at a mutual friend’s dinner party. Truth be told, Dave wasn’t too smooth. They parted ways and reconnected a few years later on Facebook when he wished her a happy birthday and tried his luck again. This time it stuck. They met up for dinner at the same place of their first meeting and then wandered around the library browsing old books for sale for a dollar.
I’m sure you can guess that things went well because I met up with them at Longwood Gardens for their engagement session on a chilly day this March during Orchid Extravaganza. They both live in Michigan now but Katie grew up right around the corner and came to Longwood Gardens a lot as a kid.
Katie originally thought the proposal was going to happen several times before it actually did (like the sweet date to the library… and then they left). Something was a bit strange that Monday in May when Dave planned a picnic on Michigan’s campus and parked in the lot rather than the street and kept checking his phone for the time. As they stood by the fountain, the bells in the bell tower tolled and Dave proposed. You see, he had arranged the music and the time and the location at the place where they had both had so many memories. Unfortunately, he had not planned on the rain. The person in the bell tower told them that they could come on up and share their romantic picnic amongst the bells. Dave designed the ring himself – the setting has a very unique twist in it to hold the diamond.
Katie has the best smile! She has such an easy way about her when Dave is around.
We braved the cold for some pictures outside. There wasn’t much in bloom but it hardly mattered to the lovebirds.
I am a firm believer that piggyback rides are always a good idea. I never want to push my limits by explicitly asking for them but I do get kind of giddy when my couples bring it up!
I had such a good time with you two! I can’t wait to see you in May at Trump National Golf Club – Philadelphia! Don’t worry, your cutesy nicknames for each other are totally safe with me. 😉
“Omnia vincit amor, et nos cedamus amori.”
“Love conquers all things; let us yield to love.” (Katie, correct me if this translation is wrong.)~ Virgil
